Well we're finally here - A long, cold off-season, a shorter, cold preseason and a ludicrously snowy early season give way this weekend to the show of shows - IL's fourth annual Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic in Baltimore, where warm temperatures and clear, sunny skies are expected to shine on six of the top 10 teams in the nation at M&T Bank Stadium.

A first-time matchup that IL was super-pumped to add to the already big-time FOC slate (particularly those of us that called Loyola home for four years), this one pits a Greyhound team that is perched as high as it's been in the rankings in a long time against a Notre Dame squad that put down the biggest early-season win so far in 2010 by topping Duke two weeks ago.

The Greyhounds, with wins over Navy, Quinnipiac and Bellarmine, are as high as they've been in the rankings since the 2004 season, while Notre Dame - which was (fairly or unfairly) labelled as a paper tiger during its undefeated regular season a year ago before falling in the first round against Maryland - is looking like it's going to be a tough out for any team in the country in its first Big East season.

Right now the biggest question mark going into the seeking is the health of Loyola's Cooper MacDonnell, who was the hero with seven points including the OT game-winner against Navy. The senior attackman injured his shoulder before halftime against Quinnipiac and didn't return, nor did he play against Bellarmine earlier this week. Loyola officials confirmed that he had been undergoing treatment for his injuries and is considered 'day-to-day', though he was listed as a starter by the school.

Senior Colin Finnerty took up the torch for Loyola in MacDonnell's absence this week, scoring five in a come-from-behind win over the Knights (Matt Langan led the charge against Quinnipiac with three goals, a performance recognized by the ECAC naming him Offensive Player of the Week), but there's a big reason MacDonnell's services would be better to have than not on Saturday.

A 6-5, 265-pound reason.

Yes, much has been made of Notre Dame's Scotty Rodgers in goal, and with good reason. The senior from Long Island takes up more of the cage than any goalie has right to and has quick hands that belie the arms that hold them. He cleaned up with 66% saves last year and led the Irish defense to the No. 1 GAA rating in Division I (6.19). In 18 career starts, he has 17 wins… Which is sorta good if you follow such things. It's worth nothing that no team has put more than 10 behind Rodgers in a single game.

Obviously the defensive work in front of Rodgers - with big, skilled guys like Sam Barnes, Kevin Ridgeway and Mike Creighton - plays a huge role in that success, and will make it hard for Loyola to get rolling offensively if they are playing well.

The Notre Dame offense has been all about spreading things around so far in wins over Duke and Penn State, with nine goals scoring so far this season. Neal Hicks has a team-best five goals, with Zach Brenneman second a goal behind that pace and Grant Krebs, Colin Igoe and Nick Beattie clocking in at three apiece. That parity will strain Loyola because it's a lot harder to gameplan for six good offensive players than it is to gameplan for one great one.

While both squads have played big-time games throughout their histories, this will be the first game on this scale arguably since Final Four trips in 2001 (Notre Dame) and 1998 (Loyola).

Yes, Notre Dame played at Ohio State in front of a crowd that by game's end was nearly 100,000 (the official tally was just over 30,000 - a NCAA regular-season record), but the overwhelming majority of that crowd was there for the football that followed the Irish win over their then-GWLL foe. The Irish also played in an NFL stadium before - in 2008 against Denver - but the crowd was substantially smaller than the expected turnout on Saturday.

Loyola has certainly played in front of some great crowds for rivalry games against Charles Street rivals Johns Hopkins in May, but the big stage takes some getting used to by all accounts.

There's plenty of season left for both squads, but Saturday is the chance for both to make a second big splash in 2010 with a win over a Top 10 team in front of thousands of fans.